Various inkjet technologies are employed by printer manufacturers including thermal bubble and piezoelectric. In a thermal inkjet printer, tiny resistors create heat and this heat vaporizes ink to create a bubble. As the bubble expands, some of the ink is expelled from the nozzles onto the print medium. By selectively energizing the resistors as the printhead moves across the print medium, the ink is disposed in a pattern on the print medium to form a desired image. Piezoelectric printers convert electrical energy into physical movement by applying an electrical charge to a piezo crystal located in the back of an ink reservoir associated with each nozzle. Application of an electrical charge causes the crystals to vibrate, thereby forcing ink out of the ink reservoir through the nozzle.
Inkjet printers operate using a printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles which spray ink directly onto a print medium. Typically the printhead is an integral part of the print cartridge, the print cartridge further including an ink reservoir. One or more print cartridges are mounted on a movable print carriage. The print carriage moves laterally across the print medium depositing the ink on the print medium in a pattern to form an image.
When not in use, the printhead nozzles are sealed by a capping assembly. This is to prevent the ink inside the printhead and cartridge from drying out and later contaminating the printhead. Any such clogging of the printhead nozzles can adversely affect print quality.
The capping assembly is typically a stationary apparatus mounted within the printer to one side of the print zone. The printhead is brought into alignment with the capping assembly for sealing of the printheads when the printer is idle.
Since the capping assembly is located outside of the print zone, the minimum width of the printer is the combined width of the print zone and the adjacent capping assembly. The height and width of the printer is an important consideration, particularly in the case of desktop printers since desk space is often limited. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a printer of reduced height and width. Reducing the overall height and width of the printer may provide additional advantages such as reduced weight and lower cost of manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a capping assembly having a space saving design.